SAN CARLOS CITY, Philippines (PNA) -- A barangay councilwoman was shot dead Sunday night by unidentified armed men riding in tandem on a motorcycle along the road in Barangay Quintong here. The fatality was identified as Conrada Fernandez Posadas, 51, wife of former San Carlos City councilor Butch Posadas. The village official was riding at the back of another motorcycle driven by another person when she was shot. She died on the spot after sustaining one gunshot wound in the left face which exited in her head. The driver of the motorcycle she was riding was unscathed. Investigators said the incident happened before 8 p.m. when the councilwoman was going home from a meeting with fellow barangay officials at the barangay hall. Investigators theorized the suspects must have waited for Posadas to go home from the meeting, tailed the motorcycle she was riding and opened fire when they were overtaking. Investigators who rushed to the crime scene recovered two empty shells of a caliber .45 pistol. Motive of the slaying is still unknown. Police Provincial Director Senior Superintendent Rosueto Ricaforte has created a task force to investigate the killing and go after the perpetrators. Ricaforte was ordered by Chief Superintendent Franklin Bucayu, police regional director, to immediately solve the case. Bucayu said Monday the incident happened while police checkpoints are still in many roads as part of the nationwide alert against terrorism and especially against suspects riding in tandem on motorcycles. Posadas was the second barangay official in Pangasinan slain by armed men riding in tandem on a motorcycle since the start of the year.
The first was Barangay Captain Arsenio Bucao, 49, of Tocok in San Fabian whose killer is still unknown although Bucayu said they have a suspect who is still at large. The killing happened on the night of January 20 during the San Fabian fiesta. Bucayu said that in shooting incidents, they normally direct the police chief in the area to immediately solve the case and in case of failure to do so within a month, the latter is made accountable for it. The police in Pangasinan have a two-strike policy for police chiefs, where they are automatically relieved if they fail to solve two shooting incidents within a month.
